Hinge construction



y 30, 1939 NJ 1.. OBRECHT 2,160,485

HINGE cons'mucnon Filed June 8, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIGJ. l4

INVENTOR NORBERTL-OBRE T May 30, 1939. N. 1.. OBRECHT HINGE CONSTRUCTION Filed June 8, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG] INVENTOR NORBERT L..0BRECHT .I/TTORIZEYS I Patented May 30, 1939 PATENT OFFICE 2,160,485 HINGE CONSTRUCTION UNITED STATES Norbert i. Obrccht, Pontiac, Mich., assignor to American Forging & Socket Company, Pontiac, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application June '8, 1936, Serial No. 84,113

. 6 Claims.

This invention relatesto hinge construction, and is particularly directed to improvement of hinges for doors, hatches and other closures arthe like may be arranged to provide virtually hermetic sealing of the closure.

Another important object is-the provision of such animproved hinge having its relatively mov- 15 able part slidably interfitted and so arranged that the closure is swingable about an axis outside of the hinge. 7 Another object is to incorporate in such a hinge improved holding means for the closure, auto- 20 m'atically operable both to catch and retain the same in desired position and to release it, which holding means is controllable by movement of the door or closure itself, incorporates no special moving parts, and requires no two-handed manipu- 25 lation.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention 30 and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar partsthrough the several views.

In the drawings: Figure l is a perspective view of the rear portion of-an automobile carrying a trunk provided 35 with a door equipped with hinges of my improved construction. I Figure 2 is an enlarged .side view of'the hinge installed, corresponding to a fragmentary vertical section of the portions of the trunk near 40 the hinged edge, parts of the hinge being also broken away and illustrated in section.

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the hinge. Figure 4 is a-view similar to Figure 2, showing a hinge of somewhat modified construction. 45 Figure 5 is a bottom view similar to Figure 3 of the modified hinge.

Figures 6 and 7 are views similar to Figure 2 showing further modifications.

Figure 8 is a top view of the hinge shown in gure 7, and Figure 9 is a cross section thereof taken substantially on the line 99 of Figure 7 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

I, 56 Referring now to the drawings, reference character l0 designates the body of a trunk, shown as carried upon the rear of an automobile l2 and serving to illustrate a typical application of the present invention. The door I; of the trunk is hinged at the top and indicated as forming the 15 greater part of the back wall and top thereof. Sealing means against dust and weather is of course necessary, and where the door is ofsuch relatively large size, it becomes something of a problem, inasmuch as although it must be tight 10 and continuous, it cannot stick, or due to its extent the total adhesion would make the door most diflicult to cipen. For this purpose a channel l'l encircles the door opening and at its inner edge carries an upstanding wall portion l6 adapted to engage a soft rubber gasket I5 carried by the door in position to properly meet it. The gasket may be formed with a slot to receive the rim or edge portion I6, increasing the area in sealing engagement. Channel I! is adapted to act as a gutter for rain water, which it conducts to the bottom, where it may run from the trunk. The gasket or sealing strip I5 is continuous, and my improved hinge is so formed as to arch it and the described sealing portions at the edge. A leaf secured to the door, as by the welded flanges 2|, supports it by means of an arcuately formed stem portion 20 which is curved concentrically about the desired axis of swing and slidably interfitted with the similarly arced stationary support or leaf portion 22. These parts may be of channeled sheet metal construction, the stem portion fitted intoand supported by the fixed 'leaf'.

The telescoping sections. are guided and held against separation by a holding plate 30, rigidly secured to the inside of support 22 and spaced therefrom in such manner that the stem 20. may

slide between the plate and support. Element 20 is longitudinally slotted as at 24, to allow it to travel over the spacer rivets 26, 21 by which plate 40 30 is secured in place, and the rivets will be seen to prevent longitudinal separation of the leaves, in cooperation with the plate which holds themagainst separation in'parallel planes. The end of the holding plate farthestfrom the swingable leaf is provided with a down-bent catch portion 3|, the lower surface of which, during normal swinging'movement forms a part of the bearing for the stem. The remainder of the holding plate, between catch shoulder 3| and the rivet 21 which holds the other end of the plate, inclines downwardly in such manner as to allow a slight amount of rocking movement of the stem and the door about an independent horizontal axis in the u neighborhood of rivet 21, when the stem 20 is pulled out as far as rivet 26 will permit. At such time the unslotted extremity-of the stem, designated 31, lies between shoulder 3| and rivet 26, and is by the weight of the raised door, which then extends outward and upwardly from the hinges, urged against the top of plate 30, to catch behindthe shoulder 3i and prevent closing movement of the door. From this position it can only be freed by lifting upon the door to rock the stem in the opposite direction, allowing the latch portion 31 to descend and again pass beneath the shoulder portion 3| in closing movement of the door. Thus although the latch provided is a secure one, the door being held by the abutment of the end portion 20 with the rigid shoulder 3| carried by the holding plate 30, no special moving parts are required to effect the latching or lelease of the door when in-raised position.

In Figures 4 and 5 a modified construction is shown in which the support He is a single vertical plate carrying a slotted guide i3 bridging a portion of its ,end and through which theslid able door stem .2011, also of flat construction, travels. The passage in the supporting element 22a will be seen to be narrow enough in its lefthand end, as viewed in Figure 4, to hold the stem against rocking movement while guiding it in its sliding travel, while to the right of the catch shoulder 3| a integrallyformed in its upper surface it is suiiiciently wide to allow independent .vertical movement of the stem, and permit its nose or latch portion 31a to rise and catch beneath the shoulder 3la. At such time the stem will be seen to rock about the one outermost corner of the guide, designated 21a, while when it is desired to release the catch, it is merely necessary to lift the door sufficiently to allow the latch portion 31a to drop clear of the shoulder .generally similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 2, incorporates a support 22b hung directly beneath the bracket portion 2Ib by which it is secured to the body, and incorporates positive latching means comprising a spring catch element 3% carried by and urged into the guide passage in portion 23b by its own resiliency, and so adapted to engage-beneath the end of the stem 20b when the latter is pulled out to the limit of its travel by full opening of the door, as to prevent reclosure thereof until the spring catch piece has, been retracted, which may be effected manually by means of a small cam 40 rockable by a finger piece as 4| to force back the catch. The cam and finger piece may be journaled in the support. Obviously, when, as is usual, the hinged element is supported upon two such hinges, the latching element need be incorporated in but one.

Figure 7 shows a somewhat modified contruction also somewhat resembling and functioning similarly to the embodiment first disclosed, but having its supporting track portion 320 carried from below by a bracket portion Zlc, while the channeled slidablevstem element 200 fitted thereinto may be retained by the over-engaging holding plate 30c, the function of which, and the operation of the entire construction, will be seen to be similar. Equivalent portions which need no detailed redescription have accordingly been given like reference characters distinguished by the addition of the letter "a to each.

What I claim is: 1. Hinging means comprising a pair of slidmon center outside both, means for securing the outer .end of each element to a support or hinged element, said elements having guiding portions holding the same against cooking with relation to their common center when fully slid inward with relation to each other, but allowing relative hinging movement with relation to such center, and differently proportioned portions allowing such cocking movement of one with relation to the other when partly pulled out, and detent means for holding said elements against undesired'sliding movement when so partly pulled out, including a shouldered portion carried by one and engageable and disengageable by a portion carried by the other by such cocking movement of one element with relation to the other.

2. In a hinge construction, a pair of slidably interconnected elements at least one thereof arced about a center outside itself, means for securing the outer end ,of each element to a support or hinged object, combined guiding and latching means carried by one element including a guiding portion near but spaced from its free end for holding the other element against relative cocking movement about an eccentric center, said guiding portion having a stepped section providing a shoulder extending laterally from said element by which the guiding portion 'iscarried, said shoulder lying nearer the free end of the latter and allowing relative cocking movement of the other element when sufllciently pulled out with respect thereto, so that a part of such pulled out element lies in such stepped section and adjacent the shoulder, and another shoulder at the opposite end of said stepped section and for preventing inward return move-.

ment of said elements while cocked with respect to their normal path of sliding movement.

3. In a hinge construction, slidably interconnected elements at least one whereof is arced about a center outside itself, means for securing I the outer end of each element to a support or hinged object, means preventing separation ofsaid elements and limiting their-sliding travel with respect to each other, one of said elements having a stepped shoulder-forming portion near but spaced from its free end and normally out of engagement with the other element but engageable therewith by cooking movement of one element relatively to the other about an eccentric center when they are sufliciently pulled out with respect to each other, to prevent -their inward sliding movement while 'so cocked.

4. Hinging means comprising a pair of slidably interconnected elements arcedsubstantially about a common center located outside both, means for securing the opposite outer ends of said elements one to a support and the other to a hinged member, whereby said elements may, slide with relation to one another as said hinged member is swung with relation to the support, the means interconnecting said elements including a laterally'enlarged portion which allows limited eccentric rocking movement of one with relation to the other,'and detent means comprising laterally interengageable abutment portions carried by said elements engageable and disengageable by such eccentric rocking movement to selectively prevent and permitsaid sliding movement of one element relatively to the other.

5. A hinge construction comprising a pair of slidably interfitted elements at least one whereof is arced'about an axis outside itself, said elements being movable about such axis with respect to each other, means for securing the outer end of each element to a support or hinged object, means for limiting relative sliding movement of said elements, and detent means for releasably holding said elements against relative movement, including portions engageable by rocking movement of one element with respect to the other about an axis eccentric to the first mentioned bers with relation to each other when partly pulled out, comprising an abutment portion carried by one of said elements and a laterally enlarged portion carried by the other providing a cooperating abutment and allowing limited eccentric rocking movement of said elements when said abutment portions are aligned, whereby said abutment portions may be engaged and disengaged-by such eccentric rocking movement. I

NORBERT L. onnncn'r. 

